Letting Go

Today was a hard day for H & S. They told the parents and students in their youth group of their plans to go to England for missionary work and graduate school. Many tears were shed, and
they were affirmed, and by the time they got home they were exhausted from the emotion of it all.

I was reminded, hearing H share how it all went, that parents have to start learning to let go very early on. It began the first time H said, "no - I do it myself" and now that she is grown with children of her own, I still have to let go. My eyes well up just thinking about putting their precious family on a plane and watching them fly away...but I know in my heart that she is not mine to hold onto; they belong to God and He has His own plan for them.

And so, as of today, the letting go has begun once again. Like H said, now that the news is out, there is no turning back. It's a little overwhelming, especially when one considers what has to happen between now and the time they leave (fixing up a house in sore need of fixing up in order to sell it, fundraising, sorting, pitching, and storing belongings, etc...). And they are looking at a 6-month window of time. Makes me tired just thinking about it.

Dear God, please help me to come to you with open hands, not fists tightly clenched. Please help me to let them go with a joyful heart.

On a totally unrelated note, the Packers will be playing the Giants at home, which is good news for us (Sorry, Dad! I couldn't really root for Dallas this time.) C & E learned a new word yesterday during the Packer game and called to say it to Grammie and Papa - "touchdown!". H says they even raise their arms in the air. It seems their language grows exponentially by the day as their vocabulary increases. E melted his Auntie H's heart on the phone yesterday by saying, "yuv u feffer!".